Cup Final Tickets

We took Conwy apart on Friday night. Couldn't go, logistics and kids although sorely tempted even then, and 3-0 appears to have not done us justice. We looked a unit on paper and so proved to be.

Connahs Quay drew at the Cofis and I nearly pulled off a 13/2 smash and grab raid as TNS's perennial bugbears Newtown hosted and led until the last 15 and also drew. Flint next week at home again. Got to go...

Went the Flint game, more to follow. TNS meanwhile are third in the Prem.

The Flint game was second against second bottom.  A train had hit someone and the Chester connection was a half hour late and superseded by the next one.  We got to Bastion Gardens five minutes after kick off and saw Flint converting a penalty between the houses.  Losing 0-1 and we weren't yet in the ground.

We had the best of it from thereon in.  We were particularly strong down the right and Alec was forever dangerous down the left.  Griff had one in the net which was ruled out for offside way back in the move, which seemed slack decision making.  It wasn't the last that would come up.

We equalised on 19 after concerted pressure and missed a clutch of chances to go in front, including twatting the woodwork 3 times.  On 23, they hit the woodwork with a bender that went in, cracking strike but fuck our luck.  We were taking the game to them, though, and they were hanging on.  Just on the half, one of their lads threw one of those "please send me off" headbutts and amazingly, got sent off.  In we went on the half, 1-2, game very much in the balance and chips were tidy.

2nd half was more of the same.  Danny Davies was having a particularly good game at right mid and the overlap down the right was causing Jacko, our old stalwart and now Flint left back some problems.  On 66, after a couple of other decent chances, Danny stepped inside on the edge of the box and went left footed which was never going anywhere else but in.  2-2.  Danny stepped inside again nine minutes later and Jacko got a piece of him right on the edge of the box.  Ref was on it and gave the pen.  Griff set it down in what is now a huge divot and unfortunately couldn't get the weight on it he wanted and the keeper saved.  Fuck off.

Three minutes later, the ref, who was having an increasing mare as the game boiled up, saw our right back and their left back go for a 50/50.  Our guy Ben gets there first, one-footed bone cruncher of a tackle, and Jacko's boot comes off and he stays down (and Jacko don't do that).  Ref sees the boot and gives out a straight red.  Hayesy says something and he reds him as well.  Two reds for a fair tackle, great. Alec switches left attack to right back, Danny goes CB from RM, we're a reshuffled nine against ten and it's still all us.  We miss a couple of bloody good chances that were easier to score and on 95 they launch one that we misjudge the bounce in the LB slot, winger picks it up, checks inside and curls it in the corner.  Fucking mugged. Jacko had to go off, was down for five mins but was a bit sore, nothing worse as he confirmed to me on Twitter later. You don't get that in the English Premier...

We won 6-3 in the Welsh Cup yesterday.  We look a unit and the table belies our performances now.

GCQ played Barry yesterday with TNS having lost at home on Friday so they were already third and GCQ and Barry 1v2.  2-2 draw.  Top two separated by goal difference and TNS two points off.

Fuck me.....the Flint game should be televised!
That's what I call entertainment!

It was a game for the watching, Tone. Oddly enough, every time I see us take Flint on, it ends up 3-2 or near enough one way or the other. Don't think I've ever been there when neither side has failed to score twice

5-2 win at home today, Griff scored a hat-trick and Ben, back from Caernarfon, got himself one as well. We're a point from safety and six points from the top half. Airbus are 14 for 14. And halfway, GCQ top the prem, a point clear of Barry with TNS two further back in third

Out the cup on Friday, lost 0-3 to the Cofis. Couldn't go because logistically it would have involved me sleeping on a bench by the Nova afterwards. Noah scored the first against us, which is bittersweet if nothing else - good to see him getting first team football as he was going to have to fight to get in GCQ's starting line-up

4-0 win against Guilsfield and we're out of the drop slots. Appalling conditions but we cope better than most as we play on the deck. Couldn't go, bit off but nice to see us on the rise.

TNS now five points off GCQ in the Prem. Barry still a point off in second

Rhyl 0 Prestatyn 3

No misprint. 9 straight wins for the Lilywhites, start from 0 again. A bit pleased...

Nice one.
Nobby Cheese found alive and unwell.

3-3 against 2nd place Porthmadog. Should have won it by all accounts and we're holding together nicely.

So last three games were at nine-wins-in-a-row local rivals Rhyl, against second-top Porthmadog and at runaway leaders Airbus.

7 points will do. Went to Airbus and did them, 2-1. 12s was insulting in 90 minutes so I even made a couple of quid into the bargain.

Fine form.....nice to hear of someone winning a bet.

1-0 Friday against Holywell.

We are TOP HALF

Excellent.

Was considering Buckley away tomorrow but have had a Crohn's episode where I commuted home yesterday in such pain and discomfort that everyone on the train and bus must have thought I had the plague. Lost more sweat than Graham Rix talking to a Top Shop Saturday girl and the Saturday girl combined.

Lost 3-2 at Buckley where apparently we had another man sent off for fighting but apparently with himself as there was no other sending off. Nearly won it but a whole half with ten was too long and it told at the death.

Beat Holyhead 2-0 yesterday and it was an early finish, goals in the first 35 and game seen off. Still slightly guts-awry, nothing extravagant but an hour and a half on two trains and back is begging for brown kecks in the situation. Need to get a game soon, though. Very itchy

Been a while in theupdate as I've been happily busy, but finally got to go Saturday - two home games were left in the season but the other is a Friday against Bangor, which is fucking hard to swallow that I can't logistically go.

So we were up against Gresford who are unbeaten in many. Lord knows why, we were running the game from the off and against the wind. Half time whistle goes and we're 0-0. A few seconds later, the ref sends Griff off. I assume he recalled a fucking jury for it but the rule of 'if you didn't see it, you can't give it' don't apply. Hayesy explodes, so it's clearly fucking idiotic, but we're coming out with ten for the second half. Still ran the game, went ahead from a pinballer off a corner, they took hold of the extra man in the last twenty and started to play a bit. Equalised on 88, also a pinballer and that's how it ended. No harm done, might make Flint (a) in two weeks

Flint was off, most of North Wales was waterlogged. Crossing fingers for a suitable rearrange...

Prestatyn 6 Bangor 2

22/03

Have just stopped laughing now

What a change since March.

Bangor have had a 42-point (yes, 42) deduction slapped on them for contractual irregularities and I presume a UK-wide transfer ban. They've been shipping in buys from Malta where the perfectly legitimate chairman has interests, I don't want to ask, they have some horrible cunts following them but there are diehards who are so fucked off with what is surely going to end up a winding up order that they've already formed a phoeniz club while the original is still standing. They had to play a home game at Conwy at one point because they hadn't paid the council their gas, water and leccy.

There's been a fire sale of the players and such - Taylor-Fletcher has gone and it's like a motorway pile-up: you know it's there but you don't want to look at the horrors unfolding. They fulfilled the season fielding kids and taking sporadic hidings - amazingly, it got worse after they faced us.

We finished mid-table and then the planning for next has started in earnest. The trickle back through the season has become a flood.

Rob Hughes (GCQ) was with us in 2014 on loan-to-buy from Rhyl, played a few games where we found ourselves a steal and Rhyl pulled the fucking rug on the deal. Well, he's back again. The elder Edwards, Kai, who has TNS and GCQ medals, has come home as well (born here, academy kid, successful career in WPL).

GCQ finished second in everything and seemed to run out of ideas at the end of the season, resorting to long ball stuff. They've released nine players in the close season, obviously with the intention of reshaping. One of whom was Parker, to whom I messaged "Come home, Michael, lad".

And he has. Suddenly we look like the side who won the league after going 26 unbeaten. Hayesy committed to another year. So did Griff. Then fuck me, Jack Kenny came back. You'd think that would be enough but obviously the daughter has now turned 18 because Jordan Davies came back as well. Alex was being pursued by Flint, so naturally, he signed up for more with us as has Ben and the two Dannys. There's a side who could win the league right now. So Gibbo went out and clawed back Zebb and Zy. Noah would be the big fish to have the Edwards set, but we may have to go a bit to prise him from Caernarfon.

Anything is possible. However, we're the unit in that division now. And the signings? Largely in the last ten days